| – drug hidden in ‘Chinese Sauce’ tinsSurrey, England – An Esher businessman has been jailed for his part in a drug smuggling operation that involved importing cocaine from Guyana,China Adidas Hockey Jerseys, hidden in tins of Chinese cooking sauce.Surrey Police were led to John Beaumont-Griffin’s Winterdown Road home after investigating the arrival of tins containing £200,000 worth of cocaine into Gatwick Airport in April 2009.The tins were marked ‘Chinese Sauce’ and came from Guyana.Beaumont-Griffin, one of four people jailed for the drug smuggling operation, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after he was convicted last Friday (January 29) following a trial at Kingston Crown Court.The verdict meant the court was able to seize the businessman’s £120,000 Aston Martin DB9.Jurors at the trial heard that the gang had used courier companies to deliver the drugs to addresses in Surrey and south London.John Beaumont-GriffinA surveillance operation by Surrey Police’s Serious Crime Investigation Team led officers to Beaumont-Griffin’s house and a property in Morden, south London.Ian Stephens, 41, from Aliwal Road, Battersea Rise, and husband and wife Elias Hajichambi, 39, and Sharan Hajichambi, 38, from Cherrywood Lane, Morden, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import class A drugs.Beaumont-Griffin, 47, pleaded not guilty to the same charge and two additional charges of supplying a class A drug, but was convicted on all three counts.Ringleader Stephens was jailed for 10 years, Elias Hajichambi given five years and Sharan Hajichambi sentenced to two years.Stephens also had his Jeep Cherokee confiscated.Scales and spoonsDetectives from the serious crime team were alerted to the conspiracy after customs officers intercepted a package containing food items and destined for Esher, which had arrived on a British Airways flight from Guyana on April 23 last year.Two food tins containing Chinese sauce were X-rayed and drilled into and a white powder was discovered inside. It later turned out to be a kilogram of cocaine with a street value of £100,000.Two days later a further package from Guyana containing two identical tins and addressed to a flat in Thornton Heath was also intercepted. Inside the tins was another kilo of cocaine.An undercover officer posing as a delivery man for the courier company took the first package to Beaumont-Griffin at his Esher address.He was later observed taking the item in his Aston Martin to the Hajichambis’ home in Morden before leaving. A short while later Stephens arrived in his Jeep to collect it.Stephens was arrested in his vehicle shortly after leaving the property and the drugs package was recovered. Sharan Hajichambi and Beaumont-Griffin were both detained at their homes.When officers searched the Hajichambis’ property they discovered a plastic bag containing a Tupperware box with white powder, two sets of electronic scales, spoons and milk tablets.They also found dealer lists, £2,700 in cash in a bedside drawer and a further £360 in Sharan Hajichambi’s handbag.When officers searched Stephens’ home they found electronic scales, clear bags, dealer lists and a bag containing crack cocaine. In addition they found a stab proof vest and Taser stun gun.Another stun gun and travel documents to Guyana in the name of a convicted drug smuggler were found in his Jeep.Cash invoices showed Stephens had recently had £3,000 worth of upgrades carried out on his vehicle despite the fact he was on state benefits.A subsequent investigation identified a total of 19 packages coming into the UK from Guyana that were linked to the investigation. Financial records showed that since 2006, Stephens had transferred a total of £148,000 in funds to Guyana.Detective Inspector Wendy Clay said following the case: “Stephens and his group had clearly been using the route from Guyana to Gatwick to bring in significant amounts of cocaine for their own selfish gain.”Surrey Police will now seek a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act to seize any available assets members of the group may have. |
